One of the hardest things with using the iPad in the classroom is finding the time to go through all of the apps in the iTunes Store listed under the education banner. We have started to list some of the apps we've found under each of the Key Learning Areas.

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Thursday, October 6, 2011

Art and Activities Apps

I was at the Art Gallery of New South Wales last night as part of their fantastic Art After Hours program. It was good so see so many people attending a public gallery at night. There was a black tie event as well as a public talk by Film Commentator David Stratton on German Films of the 1930's. This was organised to compliment the current The Mad Square exhibition on Modernism in German Art 1910 - 1937.

What also blew me away was the new exhibition space for Contemporary Art. As part of the new space the gallery has produced an excellent iPad app - Contemporary Art. This has been made as an companion to the exhibition and is an excellent resource. I downloaded it straight away.

This is the beginning of what I can see as the new interactive exhibition experience. These types of apps could be developed for so many exhibitions at cultural institutions - galleries, museums, libraries. The more these institutions feel comfortable with this technology the more innovative and interactive these apps will become. I hope to find some more of these for another post.

Here are a couple of great apps for finding current Art Exhibitions: These are obviously local but it would take no time at all to find similar apps for your own region. I know these exist for most major cities around the world.

Contemporary Art - AGNSW
Get closer to the artwork than possible in the Gallery. Zoom into images to see fine details, discover stories of the artists and the art, and go behind the scenes with videos, interviews with leading artists and audio commentary. Featuring the John Kaldor Family Collection, the app includes some of the most important international artists of our time, such as Christo, Donald Judd, Anselm Kiefer, Jeff Koons, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, Ugo Rondinone, and Bill Viola, alongside Australian artists like Rosemary Laing, Tracey Moffatt and Mike Parr.

This the official 2011 Art + About Sydney iOS application - an annual celebration of public art it is being held from 23 September – 23 October 2011. This app has some great features. It uses interactive maps to display what events are happening around you. You can read up on artist and view the calendar to plan your experience. Art + About also has Push Notification – know about exclusive events, parties and discounted or free tickets. Text messages are sent to your iDevice informing you of events that will be taking place during the festival.

Artwhatson
The artwhatson app is a meeting place for art lovers, artists and galleries. Their e-news delivers a weekly snapshot of what’s happening in Australian art exhibitions and galleries spaces. Whether you're new to art or have been enjoying it for years this app provides a dynamic exposure to the Australian art scene. Artwhatson connects people who like art with artists and galleries.

Go Play iOS app is a school holiday calendar featuring art, culture, sport and recreational activities for kids of all ages. It brings together in one convenient location a wide range of affordable and free NSW Government school holiday activities and ideas. Search by age, type of activity or date. The Go Play app also shows you what’s on nearby. Save a schedule of your favourite activities, and share them with friends on Facebook or Twitter. The app alerts you when new activities are added.